A Gateshead security company has stepped up its fight against crime on Europe's biggest industrial estate.

Valley Watch is the first private company within Northumbria to have direct contact with officers via the force's new hi-tech radio system.

This will dramatically cut the amount of time it takes to contact police and respond to incidents on Gateshead's Team Valley Industrial Estate.

PC John Marsden, Gateshead West Police's crime prevention officer, said: "We have provided the scheme with an Airwave radio and expect it to be highly beneficial, acting as an early warning system and allowing members to quickly report incidents to police."

Valley Watch began as a Gateshead West Police initiative, but is now a private non-profit-making business. It looks after security for more than half of the 600 businesses on the estate.